Twelve New Board Members Increase Diversity, Entrepreneurial Experience, And Connections To Corporate Community
CHICAGO (June 19, 2015)—The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) today announced that twelve new board members have joined the Board of Directors of the CEC in the last six months. This brings to fifty the total number of board members leading the organization, whose flagship project is 1871.
“We are thrilled to welcome vibrant and diverse directors to our organization,” said Jim O'Connor Jr., Managing Director of William Blair and CEC Board Chairman. “The board members reflect all aspects of Chicago’s economy and will be crucial in supporting entrepreneurship and fostering opportunity in the Chicagoland area in the coming years. We are excited to get to work on some new initiatives and support the growth, expansion, and advancement of 1871 and the CEC.”
The new CEC board members include:
“Chicago’s startups benefit from the unparalleled connectivity between entrepreneurs and business leaders in the city,” said Matt Maloney, Co-founder and CEO of Grubhub and CEC Board Member. “The CEC and 1871 play a key role in furthering these relationships, which help contribute to Chicago’s growth as a global leader in the startup community.”
“The CEC and 1871 provide critical resources that help entrepreneurs have a better shot at creating successful businesses,” said Pam Netzky, Founder and former President of SkinnyPop and CEC Board Member. “I look forward to working with the CEC to promote innovation and foster entrepreneurial spirit throughout Chicago.”
“New technology businesses make significant contributions to job creation in Chicago and throughout Illinois,” said Rishi Shah, Founder and CEO of Context Media and CEC Board Member. “By supporting digital startups, the CEC and 1871 are facilitating major growth in the local economy.”
The CEC Board of Directors is responsible for a number of activities. Most notably, it supports the operations and activities of 1871, its flagship project. 1871 was founded in May 2012 with the intention of becoming Chicago’s premier entrepreneurial hub. Presently, 1871 has 800 individual members and 350 companies operating out of its space.
“The insight and experience of the CEC Board of Directors is critical to the success of 1871,” said 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman. “We are honored to welcome these business leaders to the CEC board and look forward to working together to contribute to the current and future prosperity of Chicago.”
The CEC Board is also responsible for the production and execution of the annual Momentum Awards Dinner. Last year, the dinner honored Carole and Gordon Segal as the Entrepreneurial Champions, Motorola Mobility as the Corporate Champion, and kCura as the Merrick Momentum Award winner. This year, the eighth annual dinner will be held on October 8 at the Radisson Blu Hotel. It is the single largest fundraising dinner and gathering of Chicago's tech community.
The CEC is involved in a number of activities supporting entrepreneurship, including the hosting of Startup Bootcamp workshops and support of other organizations that work on entrepreneurial activities. In addition, the CEC is focused on fostering opportunities for women and entrepreneurship through 1871's WiSTEM program.
“The CEC plays a pivotal role in facilitating opportunities for women entrepreneurs and technology professionals,” said Laura Ferris Anderson, CEC Treasurer and Chief of Staff, Office of the Midwest Chairman, JPMorgan Chase. “These efforts include supporting 1871’s WiSTEM, an innovative program designed to improve the connectivity for women entrepreneurs to capital, technology, and community.
All of the board members are serving one-year terms. The full CEC Board of Directors includes: